In the repair of automobile frames or the like which have been damaged due to accidents, or the like, it is essential that the frame of the vehicle be restored to its original condition as otherwise any repair done to the body of the vehicle will serve only to restore the body portion to its original condition and if the vehicle frame has not been restored to its original condition, such body repair work will be in vain insofar as rendering the vehicle safe for travel. As can be appreciated, if the frame of the vehicle has not been restored to its original condition, it will be virtually impossible to align the wheels of the vehicle thus resulting in a vehicle which will either pull to the left or to the right during travel thereof, and, even at a moderate rate of speed of the vehicle, the operator thereof will encounter difficulties in maintaining the desired direction of travel, thus contributing to the cause of an accident. Also, in devices employed in the past for straightening a bent vehicle frame, complex devices have been used to straighten a bent portion of a frame and such prior devices, due to their structural shortcomings, have not proven to be entirely satisfactory.
Thus, with the above in mind, it is the primary object of the invention to provide a simple yet very effective structure capable of straightening the bent portion of a vehicle frame with relative ease and with a minimum number of man hours required to effect such frame straightening.
Another object of the invention is to provide a vertically extending framework with power means mounted thereon, said power means capable of being shifted along said vertically extending framework to thus enable the operator of the frame straightener to apply a pulling force at the exact location on the frame where such pulling force is to be applied in order to straighten a bent frame.
Another object of the invention is to provide an adjustable base upon which a bent vehicle frame is mounted and secured thereto and retained thereon during the application of the pull forces for straightening the bent frame.
Another object of the invention is to provide an efficient means for locking the adjustable base in the desired position so that when a pulling force is exerted on the bent vehicle frame mounted thereon, the angle of such pulling force on the bent frame will be such as to straighten out the bent portion of the frame.
Another object of the invention is to mount a pair of hydraulic or pneumatic power cylinders on vertically extending and laterally adjustable standards which are mounted on a generally rectangularly shaped support tower which is rigidly secured at the lower end thereof to a suitable framework extending along a supporting surface such as the floor of a garage, or, in instances where the straightening equipment is exteriorly of a garage, the framework may be ground supported.
The many advantages of the invention will be more readily apparent and appreciated as the same becomes understood by reference to the following detailed description which is to be considered in connection with the accompanying drawings wherein like reference characters designate like parts throughout the several figures thereof.